On January 31st, The Nebraska Department of Agriculture announced that two backyard poultry flocks in Nebraska tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), a strain of bird flu that can be deadly to poultry. One flock is in Kearney and one in Nance County. Although this is the first infected flock detected in 2025, HPAI was first detected in Nebraska in 2022. In 2024 cases were detected in flocks in Dodge, Sarpy, Lancaster, Gage, Johnson, and Nemaha Counties. The risk to humans remains low.  

Highly pathogenic bird flu is transmitted to backyard and commercial poultry by exposure to infected wild birds or their feces, or infection by other infected poultry.

Backyard flock owners should take precautions to minimize exposure of their birds to bird flu, and use personal protective gear like gloves, safety glasses, and a mask when cleaning coops or collecting eggs. Raw egg that is not pasteurized could carry bird flu. Cooking the egg so it is not runny and washing hands well after collecting or handling unpasteurized flocks can help reduce risk. More information can be found here.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is a more severe form of bird flu that is often fatal for birds. A lower pathogenic form of the virus (LPAI) causes mild or unnoticeable symptoms in birds. The difference between the two types is the virus's ability to produce disease. HPAI was the type detected in cattle.